Goodbye to Bad Behaviour..

Okay who am I kidding the bad behaviour that I do participate in I am sure I will continue to but at least I'm more educated on the possible reasons to why I do it. I just wanted to let you know that as an exchange student from the States I loved this module. I wish that I could start a module up like this at my University at home. I appreciate the mixture of topics and professors that taught them and all of the students that participated in the lectures. You all made it so fun for me! In fact I think that it will be the only class that I really will always remember. Enjoy your summers and good luck to everyone in the future years! Cheers!

(http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/images/669.jpg)

This is where I'll be heading home to in 18 days..I wish I could show you more interesting pictures but there really aren't any lol Google it if your interested.

Response to Sangeeta's spoiled children blog..

Hey, good choice for a lost blog! Would have never thought to discuss the spoiling of children. Although I do agree with you that you shouldn't overly spoil your children and you definitely shouldn't let them take control of you I have to say that not all spoiling leads to bratty kids. I am the youngest and the only girl, I have 2 older brothers and I have to say that I've always been slightly spoiled. It's not just my parents that have spoiled me but both of my older brothers have as well. It's not always materialistic things either but they would just do anything for me and I'm not bratty from it. In fact I appreciate everything that my family has done for me and I love them for always being there for me. My parents did a good job raising me, even if I was a little spoiled.

http://sangeeta-crazyness.blogspot.com/

Chinese Foot Binding

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3280/2679358861_8e379971f7.jpg)

I know that this was mentioned briefly in our body modification but I felt it necessary to touch base. I know that the whole point of this module is try to find the good in what is seen as "bad" in society but to be honest sometimes bad behaviour really is exactly that. After the lecture I came I started to research a little bit on foot binding and how it started. I found out that in the 10th century, emperor. Li Yu of the Southern Tang dynasty in China ordered on of his slave girls to bind her feet in silk ribbons and dance on a platform littered with golden lotus flowers (Click here for more information from this article). Okay two things, first off slave girls? This should have put up a red flag immediately to the Chinese community that this was not a cool thing to do. Anybody that can actually say that they made somebody do this is bad enough but the fact that he did it to one of his slave girls. You've got to be kidding me. Also, if this emperor did make his slave girl do this why on earth did other people decide that it should become a trend? I mean I realize that there is a huge respect level that goes along with the whole emperor thing but I'd hope that the community would have been smart enough to realize that this isn't a beautiful thing to do. But I guess if they were doing this to people old enough to give consent I can't bitch too much. On the other hand I also found out that foot binding was banned in 1912 but there seems to be some people that still practice it. The age that seems most popular to do this is 5 -7 years old. Hopefully the number of people doing this is actually decreasing and the act will end completely in a couple of years. If not I don't see much more awful things you can do to your child when they don't get a say in it or not.

Here is an article that interviews some of the oldest & supposed to be "last" foot binding victims: Painful Memories for China's Footbinding survivors

Response to Jennie's Being Bad "Racism" blog

I'm really glad you included racism in your blog. I think its probably one of the worse behaviours of the world and its something that I absolutely can't stand. I like that you point out that we all have the same coloured blood flowing through our veins and breathe the same air. I think that people easily forget that and for some crazy reason think they have more of a right to breathe the air around them then others do. I really enjoyed the poem too. Thanks again for touching on such an important topic!

http://jenniesbeingbad.blogspot.com/2010/04/racism.html?showComment=1273079204747_AIe9_BH6ilskheoxnoJ_XaPVOrn_fUIQM27zfAtiaklrOHhVTybMqAi5JptBe8EoeOmJAAXQwILk_oizQSieZAP4_hETTDatoS0IWDsoVCMb_zA1ruJX_mIB_kDxPf3LVpZRKhha_cenhBxS82Gf3PZ-DrRbjJMRg5iq4s0v8HjDxBsLtdPEKbUZFVh9jWDKOejKC8M40Kno_3LksJjQ77B5_KKwkkd90A#c544032554001728906

"Odoyle RULES.."

(https://public.rgfl.org/healthyschools/Pictures/Policy%20Anti%20Bullying.gif)

I'm sure most of you have see or at least heard of the film "Billy Madison". Throughout the film in different grades there are class bully's that are all from the same family and they bully Billy (even though he's at least twice their age). The families name is Odoyle and one prank that they pulled on Billy that really stuck in my mind was filling his locker up with manure so that when he opened it it fell all over him. For some reason when I thought of bullying those scenes from the movie came to my mind. I mean thats what the classic bully is right? They do mean, awful things to people they find weaker then them. But lets be real pulling pranks on somebody isn't the only form of bullying. I'm plus sized and have been my whole life and I've been verbally bullied in my past because of it. I remember in middle school some of the kids would randomly decide to call me names and say fat girl comments and it really messed with me. I always tried to pretend that it didn't bother me and I told them to eff off pretty much but I would go home and cry for hours by myself. I personally don't understand the need to bully anybody and I try to make a concious effort not to pick on anybody. Although I'm sure as much as I'd like to say I've never bullied somebody I'm sure that I have in one way or another. So why do people bully? Here is a website that gives a list of possible reasons for why people bully : Why do some people bully? I think that the list provides a lot of true reasons that people bully but I still can't say I see why some people in these same situations don't bully. I wish I could say that theres good behaviour in bullying but I really do think its all bad.

Response to Salvation's "Shoplifting Celebrities" blog..

I read something similar on a new-age group of shop lifters. I have to admit it took me by surprise to read and the article that I read was based off of a women who had a good high paying job still. She claimed that she didn't feel bad about stealing because she had spent money at those stores before and that its kind of a way to get revenge on the companies for ripping people off. For me this just doesn't make sense. I think that what you said in the beginning about people with money getting a higher sentence in court is correct. Not saying that they should have to pay more because it is possible that some of them just have a mental illness but perhaps they should have to seek mental help then? Anyway, loved the facts you included in this.

(http://httpsalvationblogspotcom-salvation.blogspot.com/2010/04/shoplifting-celebrities.html?showComment=1272995806333_AIe9_BGS2KUENh4PUXb0dB53Ktnl4kbhdkLlz3FfAukaSgdvzYyzqVKCC9p9Eitq3DEvndqpcWUiTvgMviDFEJm4ry_OpqmbhIrVMFlbayLlUEKpTFNeAmqgmEg-yY9inB5IBEM_kB3DhwBN60fF0jPKsj1bZJ1t2Wds3X3W0vjXDii9A6RhU4fHrIYlG2MTvOHZy2IuKqm_8_YeFvqgm3Zhk-QHrAIvxM8_QeB2ggsgS9_ZvzsB6lI#c7226213656859506862)

But Mom, I already have little toes and fingers, why do you want to get rid of me?

(http://heavenawaits.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/abortion.jpg)

YIKES guys sorry for such a graphic picture but when I saw it I had to use it, even though it makes me sick to my stomach. Abortion is obviously a hot topic for everyone. I've read many different blogs on abortion and every single one of them have pulled on my heart strings. I personally still have a hard time telling where I stand on this issue. I'd like to say I'm completely against somebody having this option but I know that I can't honestly say that. I mean think about the people who have been rape victims or if they know that the baby will be sick when they are born and probably die anyway. Shouldn't they have the right to choose? What I do know is that I am NOT okay with all of the people who feel as if its okay to keep having sex without using protection and they have not only had one abortion but at least 2. I mean come on there are tons of different types of contraceptive options and its really not hard to put a condom on. There is a girl that went to high school with me that just had her 4th abortion. I feel as if there needs to be some kind of limit on the number that one individual is allowed to get. And I have to wonder how the hell somebody lives with themselves after doing such a thing so often, it almost seems easy to her, which I can't even imagine it being close to easy. Okay I am done ranting. Here is an article that discusses some of the pros & cons of abortion: Lifestyle Lounge: Society: Pros and Cons about Abortion. I'm clearly just ranting but I do realize that there are good and bad to everything. The article brings up some pretty good of both so check it out.

Response to Perfect Perpetual Passion's "..Weed and Wisdom...;)" blog

I think you make a strong point on the fact that perhaps marijuana isn't really as bad as people like to make it out to be. In fact I pretty much agree completely that it's almost always natural and can help people that experience a lot of pain from medical illnesses. So maybe if people were to not take advantage of what nature gives us we could all look past the stereotyped badness of it? And I agree with anonymous above that talks about how other drugs aren't as okay and you gotta watch out for people messing with the naturalness of weed. Good post though, your article choices were interesting!

http://perfectperpetualpassion.blogspot.com/2010/03/weed-and-wisdom.html#comments

"I think when you dissect a joke too much, you have ruined whatever there is in comedy."- Bob Saget

(http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/cover_art3/bobsaget-tar.jpg)

When I think of bad comedians one of the first people to come to my mind is Bob Saget. I'm hoping that you all have heard of him and know that although he is now a stand up comic that tells filthy, nasty jokes he was also once the host of a family television series called "Americas Funniest Home Videos" and played a love-able father, 'Danny Tanner' on "Full House" in the 90s. But now Saget has shied away from that part of his life and has been re-inventing himself with his stand up that is nothing sweet & innocent like those shows. So for many its hard for them to picture him saying such things because of his previous show biz. One of his most recent claims to fame is his film called Aristocrats. Heres a clip from it: Bob Saget "Aristocrats" clip. (WARNING: DO NOT LISTEN TO IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED). Pretty much its a famous joke going discussing how a poorer family goes into the office of a circus runner and start having sexual relations with each other...except it goes into poo, vomit, lotion..you get the idea. The rest of the movie includes other comedians telling their version of the same joke. So if this is a famous joke that many comedians tell there has to be a reason. People have to laugh. I feel as if comedy is a guilty pleasure for everyone but everyone, in one way or another, has laughed at a dirty joke. A joke that goes against every single moral that somebody may have but since we know that its a joke we feel its okay to laugh. If they were actually that bad then people wouldn't be able to relate enough to the jokes to actually laugh. So perhaps Saget was right, the issue isn't that the joke is bad but perhaps people have a habit of dissecting a joke too much and therefore ruining the joke.

Response to Blossom's "Why does a Dog Lick its Balls?" blog

I loved what you wrote in the blog. It literally brought a smile to my face. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said,

"I have a nose and lungs, so that I can breathe, legs and feet, which are very useful for walking, and eyes to see wonderful sights. With this same logic it follows that I have several fingers, a clitoris and a rather fertile imagination so it would really be a waste not to use them too."

I also liked that you discussed how we go for massages for the pleasure of touch as well. Great post!

(http://blossom43.blogspot.com/2010/04/why-does-dog-lick-its-balls.html?showComment=1272834619268_AIe9_BE7UMa6vusMtKOIjWecceiPk2VLymjLLFsS-_ljMEOvspRq6m8Re6U408ZyqDxYb5ozpK_ou6oGHB-ivynQywoTbiM73EkR2KlnCXMDVPvuaeCODYz53CS2DXOaWZYXyXGMbktNcxSm1gGwYpyuoMJfATj-d88gvUSCnplPXvqhsE-_hT2WVTSkYRFrDVCTOSEkha6E-jXv5fPhD7g6MkDvKge2TE6Ah0B8qXtp0Kz56P0fxWQ#c2525568572847151770)

I tried to stop #$&%ing swearing once but...

(http://almostmakessense.com/comics/2008-09-06-hate-swearing.jpg)

I'm a swearing addict. I don't even necessarily like to admit it because lets be honest I don't think theres anything really sexy when a woman drops the F-bomb on a daily basis. But still, the words just flow out of my mouth multiple times a day. I mean even though I don't think its attractive I've never been one to think swearing was a bad thing. For me they are just words, just all the other words we use everyday and to be honest half the time I use the words I'm not using its defined meaning. In fact most of the time I'm just using the words when I'm telling a story and want to express myself effectively! So the good news is I found an article from Scientific American that discusses that new studies show that swearing could actually be good for you because it can help you relieve more pain. There was a study done to see how long university students emerged their hands in ice cold water and students could either choose a swear word to say repeatedly or chant a neutral word and the study showed that the 67 students repeating the swear word reported less pain and usually lasted an average 40 seconds longer than the students chanting the neutral word. The article goes on to discuss how swearing is also a way of expressing our emotions, whether it be anger, joy, surprise, happiness, etc (Why the #$%! Do We Swear? For Pain Relief.-Fredrik Joelving). So lucky us, maybe swearing isn't so #@%$ing bad after all!

Response to Lou Bean's Abortion Blog

Wow, those images had tears forming in my eyes and chunks wanting to rise in my throats all at the same time. I definitely think that its ridiculous that people are allowed to have abortions up until that point. I'm an exchange student from the states and abortion is a huge issue there as well and it makes me sick because I know some people who have gotten abortions multiple times just because they couldn't be bothered using a condom or getting on birth control. I feel as if there has to be something done to change how easy it is to get an abortion. I do believe that there are different circumstances-like rape victims, etc. and pro-choice should be allowed but it should definitely have to be done at a certain time, if you ask me. Good post.

(http://vomitandgiggles.blogspot.com/2010/04/abortion.html?showComment=1272668379446_AIe9_BFyp96B2OzGrZLvjzmlL7k90yPIMsJ3F3cbhUZuH_cgW8dxZaVpdDzNXzMqQYGelf9gMYlD9ndM-i9z9Og9f8PWc94d5a2CddsFN04EklPtPJMBkZ7H7ZyXGxREXSGeDuIDDxV9m739OtEInqtiOuunD-ainyNnJnAk-xPgSK-1dadCJ6a5HwsoUQIyCWcMgBcU2KHbLSua3Z_58XZ46quLRdfyzw#c4154727558380630789)

Hip Hop & Rap

(http://img171.imageshack.us/i/hiphopvj9.jpg/)

For some when they hear the words hip hop and rap they cringe. They think of the vulgarity that some rappers bring to the table, you know the "bitches" & "hos" aspect of it. But not all rap and hip hop artists focus their music on the disrespect of women or strictly talk about drugs. In fact much of rap and hip hop is a form of poetry and expression by the artists who produce it. With that said, its important to look at some of the history of the music to fully get an understanding as to why it really isn't all "bad". First I think its important to ask, whats the difference between Hip Hop and Rap? According to Kurtis Blow, one of the first rappers on the scene and also known as "Kool DJ Kurt" : Rap is talking in rhyme to the rhythm of a beat while Hip-hop is a culture, a way of life for a society of people who identify, love, and cherish rap, break dancing, DJing, and graffiti (The History of Rap: Vol.1-The Genesis). Second I think its important to take a look at some artists. For me one of the most controversial rap artists to people over the last few years has been Eminem. Personally, I have a high appreciation for most of Eminem's music, not all of course, but I think that he may be one of the most honest and poetic rappers to hit the scene. He is also by far one of the most vulgar. Heres an excerpt form one of his song, I'm sorry Mama:

"Now I would never diss my own mama just to get recognition
Take a second to listen for who you think this record is dissing
But put yourself in my position, just try to envision
Witnessing your mama popping prescription pills in the kitchen
Bitching that someone's always going through her purse when shit's missing
Going through public housing systems, victim of munchhausen syndrome
My whole life I was made to believe I was sick when I wasn't
'Til I grew up, now I blew up it makes you sick to your stomach, doesn't it?
Wasn't it the reason you made that CD for me, ma?
So you could try to justify the way you treated me, ma?
But guess what, your getting older now and it's cold when your lonely
And Nathan's growing up so quick he's gonna know that your phoney
And Hailie's getting so big now, you should see her, she's beautiful
But you'll never see her, she wont even be at your funeral *hahaha*
See what hurts me the most, is you wont admit you was wrong
Bitch, do this song, keep telling yourself that you was a mom
But how dare you try to take what you didn't help me to get
You selfish bitch, I hope you fucking burn in hell for this shit!
Remember when Ronnie died and you said you wished it was me?
Well guess what, I am dead, dead to you as can be"

(http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/I'm-Sorry-Mama-full-song-lyrics-Eminem/EDDBDC112352891448256E37000B5C13)

When you read the lyrics of this song you can see that he's talking about his life and what happened. It may seem crazy the way that he cusses and calls his mom a bitch but it is clear that this is a way to express himself. Eminem is just one example of artists that use rap as an outlet for their opinions and emotions. I could go on forever with examples but another 2 of my favorite are Kanye West and Common. I won't sit here and provide you a million examples of their lyrics but I will suggest that you look up a song each. For Kanye I'd suggest to look up "Through the Wire" where he talks about his near death accident and for Common I'd suggest the song "Dream" in which he talks about his dream of a better day for African Americans. Oh and one more group I'd suggest taking a look at would be The Roots "Been through the roots".

So overall the point is if you look deeper into Rap & Hip hop you will find that not all of it is really bad at all.

Response to A Rebel Yell's Road Rage blog

Wow, I can't believe that road rage is an official mental disorder. I have the worse habit of road rage ever, especially when I'm driving in an area I'm not familiar with and I pretty much look like a crazy person cursing and yelling in my car. Would have never thought to include this in "Being Bad", good job!

( http://beingbad-arebelyell.blogspot.com/)

Drink. Drank. Drunk.

(http://daninz.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/wickerpark3.jpg)

Binge drinking is an obvious issue in Britain as discussed in class. But as an international student from America I found that a lot of what we discussed is similar as at home. In fact, I'm pretty sure that we are probably the country that is the most comparable to Britain in the way that they drink. It's very common for people our age to focus on school and work all week but as soon as its Friday night start pounding the drinks. There are some nights that people go out on: especially Thursdays (Thirsty Thursdays as they are called in the States). Not only are we big binge drinkers but the whole leaving the clubs and getting into fights thing is quite common as well. Actually, most of the time there is at least one fight that breaks out-usually between two drunk blokes that probably don't even have a reason to fight but just feel like being complete meat heads. But its not just one specific type of person in the Uni years that binge drinks, I'm almost certain that at least 90% of students have been guilty of doing it at least once, I know I have. So the big question still remains: Why do we binge drink? Personally, I have find myself being guilty of binge drinking when all my friends what to go out dancing or I'm in any social drinking scene really. Half the time I'm only getting more drinks because everyone around me is drinking. I also imagine that stress plays a role in binge drinking as well. I mean at home I go to Uni every day of the week and then I work 30 some hours on top of that. When I get a night off and a chance to let loose I tend to go a little above and beyond on the drinking. I know that why people binge drink will probably always be one of those "mysterious" topics but overall I think that its mostly culturally related.

Heres a link to an article from the New York Times that discusses cultural reasonings to binge drinking: When People Drink Themselves Silly and Why

Sticky Fingers.

(http://www.retailtimes.com.au/var/tinymce/retailtimes/uploads/Image/ara_retailer/10_ara/store_300.jpg)

After blogging about peer pressure I started thinking of all the things that I've heard people talking about getting peer pressured into and I realized a common one was shoplifting. Then I started thinking of other reasons why people purposely shoplift. I've never personally stole anything from anywhere, I'm not really a big badass when it comes to that kind of stuff and I have the worlds largest guilt complex ever-not saying that its a bad thing but these factors just make it hard for me to really understand why people do it. The possible answers I came up with before I researched anything were: peer pressure (duh!), having no money & needing things & adrenaline rushes (the whole feeling like a bad ass thing). I found some articles that discussed the whole adrenaline rush aspect of it all but the most interesting article that I read taught me reasons that I never even would have imagined. The article "Shoplifting: the new middle-class disease?" takes a look at how a top PR executive 'Belinda Mowbray' shoplifts and why. It talks about how although Mowbray has the money to buy the clothes and jewelry that she decides to steal that she does it for reasons like knowing that she can and justifies it by reminding herself of the retailers that have ripped her off her whole life. Which I guess makes sense because lets be honest retailers are constantly overcharging for items that probably cost them very little to manufacture. Mowbray also defends herself by saying that she never shoplifts from a store that she has not recently purchased an item from-so maybe she's just trying to get her moneys worth? She also mentions that as she leaves these stores her heart rate barely changes. So I guess that when I read this article I realized that maybe everything that I thought about shoplifting, and the people that shoplift, could be wrong. I mean I'm sure that there are the people that shoplift for the reasons that I had first guessed but this puts a whole new twist on it. People that can afford to buy things but still choose to steal. So I guess my question now is: Is shoplifing "bad" behaviour or just "greedy" behaviour. For me I think that I've found it to be more greedy than bad and I kind of find it stupid. I mean I realize that there are the cases of shoplifting because a family can't afford to buy what they need, and lets face it the economy around the world is shit right now, so maybe just maybe they have a little bit of a reason to do so. But people that can afford the items that they are stealing but just do it 'because they can' kind of make me want to yack. How about you quit spending your energy on stealing from people, even if it is retailers who may rip people off' and put it into something to give back to people?

Response to Amina Caley's Vandalism blog

Hey, I have to say I agree with some of the points you made in this blog but others I may argue. I agree that when people graffiti on public buildings it can ultimately ruin the appeal of the building and cause a hassle for the people that have to clean them up. But I do think that graffiti has its place at times, like skate parks and when you are taking undergrounds and you see it as you fly by the walls. I also think that on street walls it can look quite nice, but that is usually agreed upon by the city in which is done. I think you've made a valid point but I hope you can see the art in some of the graffiti you do see.

"Cmon man just try it, just do it this one time."

(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWl7Gog0o5KGXL54Zr7sT6cVk68-IuCtCxzvLGQLxNyEn0RzKCs8Oppcyjf4EFWFxhKNPEC7Wb3cBnjU0Lti4hyphenhyphenMcnBndKmL0uAS5UU5cE61jv1FxrVpmiXgzvtK3m8RqZH17guzRHV8/s400/peerpressure-1.jpg)

Peer Pressure. Now many of you may think I'm nuts for including this in a "Being Bad" class as peer pressure may not seem like such a big deal. But personally I think that it has some very awful effects on people. Think about being a teenager-like 14-17- and how many people tried to get you do something that you were hesitant to do. We have all been peer pressured and we all know how difficult it is to resist when on person is persistent. So are we being bad by surrounding ourselves with people that peer pressure us or is that just part of growing up? I personally think that peer pressure is just a part of life and perhaps even human nature. I know that as much as I'd like to say that I've never peer pressured anybody I know that I have, even if it's just something as small as one of my friends not wanting to go out one night and me pestering them until they give in and I get my way. But whats worse, somebody who surrounds themselves with people who constantly peer pressure or the people that do the peer pressuring?For instance somebody who struggles with alcoholism but still insists on hanging out with people that are constantly drinking and trying to get them to drink as well. There is clearly fault in the friends that are doing the peer pressure but if you know that you have a problem and that they only make it worse aren't you just as guilty for surrounding yourself with that way of living?

Peer Pressure isn't always bad though. I mean somebody could be constantly pressuring you into reading for an assignment or doing your school work. Or for the reverse role above and try to pressure you into hanging out with a new group of friends that won't have such a negative role on you.

I'm not going to fib when I say that the articles that I've read on peer pressure are pretty much what you'd expect: tutorials on what peer pressure is, how you can fight peer pressure, etc. But I still thought that this website had a good approach to it. They discuss why we look up to our peers so much, how peer pressure can be good and what to do when the pressure is on. Check it out: Peer Pressure

Winner, Winner, Chicken dinner.

(http://www.wikivorce.com/divorce/images/stories/jreviews/7450_gambling_1250852728.jpg)

When I started pondering different subjects that could go along with this module gambling was the first that really popped out to me. I've never quite understood gambling and why some people have such an addiction or why people really like to do it anyway. My brother got married in Las Vegas 2 and a half years ago and I of course wasn't old enough to drink (legally) or gamble so I decided to spend my money on shopping. Of course I was the only one that really felt that this was the right way to spend my money, I realize at the time I didn't have much of a choice but to be honest I don't think that if I went to Vegas today-now that I'm legal to drink and to gamble- I would spend my time wasting money at the chance to win more money then I started with. I'm much more the type that would rather spend money on something that I know I'm going to get something in return. I do understand the whole "thrill" of gambling though. I mean to put something in and really not knowing whats going to happen-leaving it to lady luck. So is gambling bad behaviour? I would say yes and no. The occasional gambling isn't so bad but I do believe that there comes a point where it becomes somewhat dangerous. For example, one of my good friends Kristina has been dating and living with her boyfriend (along with her son & his son) in a house that she made the down payment on and pretty much paid to fix up with her trust fund with the agreement that Jay (her boyfriend) would make morgage payments and put in money for living expenses for them all. Well a couple of months later Kristina found out that Jay was playing poker online and had lost thousands of dollars. He of course promised that he would not ever do it again if she helped him out of this mess just one time so she did and not even 6 months later he approached her again. It made her despise him for awhile and pretty much almost ruined their relationship and definitely the trust she had in him. When gambling starts to effect your financial life and your family life I think thats when it starts to be seen as "bad" and to be quite honest pretty stupid behaviour. I personally don't think that a small "thrill" feeling is worth losing loads of money and hurting the ones you love.

I did some research on gambling addictions and it even shows that people can get so addicted to gambling that they become suicidal from the problems that it causes. Heres an article that discusses gambling addiction and problem gambling: Signs , symptoms & treatments

Bad Cinema: Kids

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I have to say that this movie was rough for me to take in, not necessarily the message that it sends because I think it's an important one but more the way that they went about filming the movie. I mean I think that the movie is a little over dramatic in what they had the kids doing. I'm from the states and I know that there is partying and sex in high school, I mean that is definite-not for every student but overall it happens but I wouldn't say its much like whats seen in the movies. There are house parties where the major drugs are alcohol and maybe some marijuana. Every once in awhile you'll find the group of kids that venture out and try more hardcore things like coke and pill popping but its rare. Now sex on the other hand has become more and more common and I know that even in just my graduating class there were at least 6 girls that had kids before they graduated. I thought the movie did a good job talking about STDs because to be honest its not something that people really think that can happen to them-I think even more so in the States. When I started thinking about writing this blog I started doing some research on the number of teens affected by STDs a year in the U.S. The most recent article I could find included statistics from 2007 and discussed how rates for teens infected with STDs has been on the increase. In 2007, Teens from the age of 15-19 with Chlamydia were 379,418-Gonorrhea: 98,579-Syphilis: 664 (STD Statistics-Teen STD Statistics). This wasn't the only age groups the website included but I thought it was most fitting for the ages of the kids in the movie but to be honest some of the other numbers were even more shocking. To me I guess it shows that we are slightly uneducated in how to practice safe sex-no matter how much we'd like to think that out sex ed lessons in health class teach us everything it doesn't. I think its time for everybody to get a little educated (its not hard to practice safe sex, really) before it gets too "bad".

John Dillinger: Gangster or Robin hood of his time?

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I wish I could think of a creative title for this but I just couldn't. It may have something to do with the simple fact that I've had a hard time really getting into this topic. Sure, I see the connection with the module and after a little procrastination I actually was able to start analyzing if these bandits we discussed in class really were "helping the poor". The story of Robin Hood was the one I was most familiar with and I still do believe other bandits we talked about I realized that the people of their time might have been a little misled. The one that caught my attention the most was John Dillinger. I knew of some movies that were based around Dillinger, including the most recent one with Johnny Depp in it, but I hadn't bothered to see any of them. Clearly gangster movies aren't my thing. But I started to read up on Dillinger and learned about how he was a bank robber and gangster during the great depression and how people of his time looked to him as a hero almost. Since there was so much drama during that era with banks pretty much stealing the peoples money I see how they may have thought somebody robbing from those same banks that were basically robbing them (of their homes and money) would seem almost heroic but were they receiving any of this money from Dillinger? No. So even though the bank and ultimately the government was being retaliated on by Dillinger the people of the country were still suffering. They weren't receiving anything personally so I don't think that he could be compared to as a Robin Hood. The research that I found on Dillinger was more of a historical line going through his life and the different crimes that he had committed. His story is an interesting one and the article is as well. I especially found it interesting that Dillinger was a leader of a gang when he was only 16 and the gang used to rob old coal mines. Heres a link to the article (I suggest if you have any interest in Dillinger to check it out, hell check it out if you don't it might spark an interest like it has for me): John Dillinger Biography

Nobody likes a copy cat.

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This lecture was by far my favorite so far. Its not like I'm tatted up or pierced from head to toe but I've always had an interest in tattoos and have one of my own. The lecture was packed with history about tattooing and piercing that I knew slightly but not nearly to that extent. It got me thinking about if it is a compliment or an insult to tribes when we mimic their tattoos and piercings. The picture above is a 'copy cat' style Maori tribal tattoo. The Maori tribes are part of New Zealand and for them the tattoos are part of special rituals that celebrate specific and special events in a tribe-persons life. They receive their first tattoos as a rite of passage from childhood to adolescent and would be added whenever there were important events in their lives. Tattoos represented courage and strength of the individual and most of the time the men would cover their whole face (as seen in the 'copy-cat' picture above) while the women only covered their cheeks, the lips and sometimes their necks (What Are Maori Tribal Tattoos-Bernice Eker) So is the copying of these tattoos insult or flattery? I think to some extent it probably is insulting because to them those tattoos represent a huge part of their lives. Like the tribe that gets the face tattoos that literally tell their names to other tribe members. They get them for pride reasons and we get them just because we think that they are cool. Just like the chinese word tattoos that we get, I know many people that get them without even researching and just trust that they mean what they are told. They get them because they think they look cool but don't really know what they mean or represent to that culture. It just shows how easily we fall into "trends" without even considering that they may mean something more than just a cool design. I'm not saying that everybody that gets these tribal tattoos don't do the research or history behind them and what they mean to their designated tribes. If somebody take the time to learn about tribal tattooing and decide that they really appreciate the meaning behind something and what it represents to that tribe and decides they would like to get that tattoo then I don't think it should be seen as insulting. I mean people in every different country and culture has adapted something from one another at some point in their history, its only natural, so I don't think that somebody should be penalized or looked down upon if they have done their research and have a real appreciation or interest in the type of tattoo.

Heres an extra link that I thought was kind of interesting, its a brief time line of Tattoos which include some tribal tattoos and descriptions of the types of tattoos those tribes get: A Brief History of Tattoos

Flirtation: attention without intention? That is the question.

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After the lecture on infidelity it really got me thinking about whats considered cheating. I mean sure theres the obvious sexual affairs that people may have but what about something as innocent as flirting? Luckily I'm single so I can flirt with as many people as I do please but I've watched a lot of my friends struggle with this issue. One of my best friends has been dating for her boyfriend for 2 years now but she has insisted in the past that he was flirting with one of their mutual friends, who just so happens to have been dating somebody for almost 6 years. So did my friend have the right to get upset? Personally at first I thought not. I mean to me it was like even if her boyfriend was casually flirting with their friend, which lets be real I know a lot of guys that flirt without even realizing that they are doing it, he wasn't trying to get her into bed or even making a sexual move on her at all. But after doing some research online it got me thinking that maybe I was wrong. I read the article, "When Does Flirting Become Cheating" which discusses that when a person is in a committed relationship even the lightest flirting can become dangerous because it's a very emotional act. See I was looking at cheating as being mainly physical but the more I thought about it the more I realized the reason people flirt in the first place. I mean sure sometimes you flirt just to have fun with somebody but regardless you are trying to stir up some kind of emotion in the person whether its for laughs or not. Taking a look at myself I realized I usually flirt based on the obvious attraction I have for somebody and at times I flirt with people that I may not have a huge attraction to but I know they have one for me. I can see now that maybe, just maybe flirting could indeed become hazardous to your relationships and could turn into cheating, whether emotionally or physically but should it be considered bad behaviour? I wish I could give a yes or no answer but personally I'm still torn and until I'm put in that situation I'm not sure I'll be able to, at least not honestly. Feel free to let me know what you all think.

"When the world ends, we'll be burnin' one."-Dave Matthews Band

(Image link: http://www.bongsbay.com/funny/marijuana-not-crack.jpg)

Are all drugs bad? I'd personally answer that with no. For me the majority of drugs can be bad and can clearly make people do bad things-especially drugs like: heroin & cocaine-I do believe that its probably best to avoid trying those but what about marijuana? I imagine a large portion of students in our module have at least tried smoking weed once in their lives. I also know a large amount of people that smoke in their daily life and still function normally. It's like a smoker who is addicted to smoking fags only they are smoking joints instead. I found an article online that discusses common myths about smoking weed and then presents the actual facts on the topics. One in particular that I liked discussed the myth that smoking marijuana is highly addictive. The article states the facts that read: "Most people who smoke marijuana smoke it only occasionally. A small minority of Americans - less than 1 percent - smoke marijuana on a daily basis. An even smaller minority develop a dependence on marijuana. Some people who smoke marijuana heavily and frequently stop without difficulty. Others seek help from drug treatment professionals. Marijuana does not cause physical dependence. If people experience withdrawal symptoms at all, they are remarkably mild" (Drug Policy Alliance Network). I'm not trying to sit here and tell everybody that they should go out and become stoners or that they should even occasionally smoke weed but I am asking everybody to really take a look at marijuana and if it's really that "bad" or not. I think that in some cases if it helps somebody relax, like me with a glass of wine or a pint of beer, and isn't doing harm to them or their bodies then they shouldn't be penalized for it.

For more Myths & Truths visit the Drug Policy Alliance Network's article online at: Myths and Facts about Marijuana

But if everybody else is doing it, it can't be that bad, right!?

When I googled "stalking definition" there was no one specific definition for it. In fact, the closest definition that I could find was the 'legal' definition which read: "A form of harassment generally comprised of repeated persistent following with no legitimate reason and with the intention of harming, or so as to arouse anxiety or fear of harm in the person being followed. Stalking may also take the form of harassing telephone calls, computer communications, letter-writing, etc." (your dictionary.com) Personally I think it makes perfect sense why there isn't really one universal definition for stalking. I mean if you think about it the way the world is today people can follow people and look at people in all sorts of way. With every social network on the internet-whether it be myspace, facebook or twitter (just 3 examples of the many out there)- comes some form of what could be called "stalking". I myself have probably be guilty of this. I mean I get on facebook a ridiculous amount-probably about 10-15 times a day- and I only write to somebody or comment a picture or update my status maybe 5 times out of the15 i sign on. The rest of the time spent on facebook is what I like to call "creeping"-something that not only me but most of my friends & people I've met confess to doing- where I page jump from person to person to find out any new gossip of whats going on in their lives. The most popular ones I look at tend to be a guy that I have a slight interest in or find attractive, old friends from previous school years & even my friends, friends. I don't have any want to hurt them or cause them hurt in someway but is it really necessary for me to look through their pictures and what they have written to other people? I even have to admit that this has to be some form of stalking and I'm sure most everyone is guilty of doing it. But then it gets me thinking, if I can look into all of these peoples lives, who is looking into mine? It's scary to think of how pretty much anybody has access to peoples websites-even though my stuff is on super private mode I still feel that there is some way around it. My brothers girlfriends daughter, who is 12, has myspace and before I forced her to make it private she had it open to the world to view. With how many creeps are out in the world these days I'd hate to think of the kids who don't have their information private. In fact, this cyber-stalking has become so popular that some people have formed organizations in hopes to stop it (it's especially common in the U.S.). But is all stalking really bad behaviour? I don't think so. I think that as long as you aren't obsessing over a person, threatening them or trying to commit harm to them, a simple "creep" session is okay.

To find out a little more about how cyber-stalking is becoming an issue, especially in the U.S. heres a link to an article I read about some groups that are trying to put a halt to this form of stalking: Privacy Watch: Stalking Over the Web Is a Growing Threat by Andrew Brandt

"Self improvement, is masturbation."-Fight Club

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"1.	Masturbation
	The act of touching oneself to produce a favorable feeling in the groin area. Usually accompanied by some sort of mental, visual, or audio stimulation to assist in reaching climax. jerking off; spit-shining the old water pump; waxing the brass candlestick; beating off; playing cards with only one hand on the table; riding the quarter-horse; joining the mile-high club, solo-aviator division; giving in to the hand police; self-actualization; fully realizing your potential No honey, I don't want to tonight, I'm tired from watching Oprah. Why don't you just go masturbate? That dumb broad got me all worked up and left me; so I had to spit-shine the old water pump manually if ya know what I mean. .......
2.	Masturbation
	Mass murder of millions of tiny defenseless sperm."

...There are clearly many ways of defining masturbation, these two are the first two that come up on Urban Dictionary and I have to say they gave me quite a laugh. But why is masturbation considered such a taboo? In my eyes theres a lot worse things that a person could do then sexually pleasing themselves from time to time. I mean I find it so hard to believe that they used to perform preventative "treatments" on men and women so that they didn't crave that sexual need anymore or that they created harnesses and made people wear them so that they were physically punished if they did try to masturbate. We may not have harnesses anymore but masturbation continues to be something that many people deny they partake in. I know that at home in the states many of my girl friends still to this day deny the fact that they've ever touched themselves and crinkle their nose at the thought of somebody masturbating-"I would never do that"-they all say. But as we covered in class, masturbation is a natural instinct and we all in face have masturbated whether we remember it or not-since it's known that infants and children do so without even realizing it. After doing some research online I found an article that discussed the International Guidelines on Sexual Education. It discusses how the guidelines mention promoting masturbation as a way to get kids to wait to have sex, something that I think its just absolutely brilliant. Why would we not prefer our youth to holding off on sex by pleasing themselves? It's better then somebody that is young and immature getting pregnant at a young age or getting caught up in something that they aren't ready for and not using protection and getting an STD. The article goes on to discuss how many US right-winged news groups (such as Fox News) tried to make this seem like an awful idea by discussing teaching 5-8 year olds masturbation. Personally, I wasn't shocked by this at all being from the US myself I know that this happens much too often. Too bad the right-winged conservatives have to take something that will ultimately help our youth and twist it into something else. I think its time to open our eyes and realize masturbation is natural and quit hiding the topic from the world and promote: Sex can wait Masturbate!

If your interested in the article I was referring to its called: "Roundup: Masturbation as Natural as Breathing....Let's Ban That, Too"- by Jodi Jacobson ...I think its a pretty interesting read!

Response to Sam Cattell's "Ask No Questions"

I really like when you discuss how we've been lied to our whole lives. Whether somebody has been taught religion or not at a young age we are almost spoon-fed lies. I think that ultimately you nailed it when you stated "personally I believe that lying is an integral part of being human; it allows us to surprise others, withhold information to our advantage, and ultimately protect ourselves against the varied and unpredictable nature of life." I mean is there a specific person that started lying first? Not that we know of. Theres no company that created lies and sold them to us even thought they knew they were "bad" (like cigarettes or booze) so maybe it really is just in our genes. Nice post though-very interesting read!

Heres a link to her post: Sam Cattel "Ask No Questions" Post

Lying

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So as I sit here in my dorm room sick I couldn't help but to think back to when I was younger. When I was a kid and my parents were making me go to day camp I used to literally make myself physically sick because I didn't want to go. I tried to pull every trick in the book all so that I could stay home. I got over it eventually and started going willingly but when I was in high school (primary school) I continued the trend of lying in hopes to get out of a day or two of school. I'd even develop a plan of attack to lie to my parents so that they would believe me and call me off the next day. I remember that I would wake up in the middle of the night and go into their room with tears in my eyes telling them that I had "gotten sick" and I thought I had a fever-I was quite the actress- and they'd feel bad for me and often just automatically call me off school when they woke up the next morning. I mean how awful am I? I know everybody lies (at least once in their lives-I mean personally I haven't met any saints) and I still have a hard time thinking about why it is we do. I'd definitely say that for me personally looking back I lied quite a bit about stupid things that benefited me-the whole being sick thing, that I was staying at one friends house and really was somewhere else-dumb little baby lies. But they are still deceitful and although I'm sure my parents knew I was lying at times I feel like I still probably hurt them. Luckily now a days I realize how cool my parents really are and I can pretty much tell them anything. But I'm still not lie free. Although I lied for my own benefit when I was younger I find myself telling lies now in hopes to spare somebodies feelings. Is this still wrong though? I mean its hard not to when you know that you could hurt somebody by telling them the truth. It's one of the hardest things to see yourself hurting another person but most of the time the truth will come out later and it will just hurt them more. So the question still remains why do we lie? Here is a link to an article that discusses some of the possibilities on what different lies sound like, why we do tell these lies and how to try to avoid these lies: "The Truth About Lying" by Jenna Mccarthy

Field trip/activity suggestion

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I think if we did an activity we should watch "Thank you for smoking"..pretty good movie and I think it goes nicely with the class. For a field trip I'd say we all go to Cadbury World since chocolate can be both good and bad :)

Info on school bookings: Cadbury World

Smoking

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Google: "Smoking" and what comes up? Heres just the first few topics: NHS Go Smokefree, Smoking: Health risks, Smoking-articles for teens on smoking..and the list goes on. Not only are the articles anti-smoking but so are most of the images (such as the one above). As if we didn't already know the dangers of smoking already without having to read a million articles on it. What if I googled smoking in hopes to find the newest, coolest brand of fags, would seeing these articles come up really prevent me from ultimately redefining my search and trying again? I think not. I'm not even a smoker and it gets under my skin the way society has started to try to ban and prevent people from smoking. I've never felt that just because I don't smoke that I have the right to tell somebody else that they shouldn't or can't. I mean really aren't we all supposed to make our own decisions? Being from America I always wondered why our government thinks that its their place to tell somebody they can't smoke in front of a building but instead have to be 25 feet away from the building or else they may get fined. I mean okay, I understand the ban on smoking inside or a public building more because I realize the effects 2nd hand smoke may have on people who really despise smoke but outside? I personally think thats pushing it. What will be next- no smoking and driving? the banishment of all cigarettes? And whats after smoking? I mean we all have bad habits that others may look down upon- I know for me I play my music in my car wayyy too loud and get more than the occasional glare from the cars next to me. I just think that we should all take a look at our own habits before pointing the finger and trying to take away something somebody enjoys-such as smoking. Heres an article that discusses why its wrong for the government to get involved in banning smoking-from 2006: "Government smoking ban would stomp on human rights" by Dan Hemp